Youth Ball has share of memorable moments

Thursday

The first-ever Youth Inaugural Ball came off with a few hitches, but it was nonetheless an historic event for the first family and for those who were able to attend and see President Barack and Michelle Obama in person.

“It’s the most exciting moment of my life,” said Diana Gradstein, of the San Francisco Bay Area. “We got so close to him.”

Everyone who had tickets got in by the end of the night, but some who were there on time were caught in long security lines and missed the Obamas’ appearance.

The event was held in two ballrooms at the Hilton Washington with a combined capacity of 8,000, but only 5,000 of the earliest arrivals could see President Obama speak.

Gradstein said she volunteered on Obama’s campaign for a couple of weeks in the swing state of Nevada and bought her plane ticket to Washington, D.C., in March eight months before Obama’s election.

“I didn’t know if I would get (inauguration tickets to) anything,” she said. “I didn’t care. I wanted to be here and I knew (plane) tickets were going to get a lot more expensive. Everyone thought I was crazy.”

Gradstein’s escort for the ball began waiting in line at 6 p.m. for the 9 p.m. start time.

“(Obama) came in and first thing he said was, ‘This is the ball I’ve been waiting to come to all night,’?” Gradstein recounted Wednesday. “For him to have come and honored us youngsters is amazing. I think it made us feel acknowledged. You could tell he was really genuine about it.”

After Obama left, folks filtered in to dance, caught glimpses of celebrities and celebrated in front of MTV cameras.

Some of those left trapped outside, wearing their finest clothes, became frustrated and disappointed that they would not get to see Obama live despite having tickets. Some cried, others got angry and tried to push in, and some tried to leave. Others made the best of the situation by chatting with strangers, eating dinner or snapping photos.

Kid Rock, Kanye West and Fall Out Boy performed short sets. West did a medley of several of his songs and Fall Out Boy dedicated “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs” (“Thanks for the Memories” for the non-texters) to former President George W. Bush.

MTV’s host Sway was in the ballroom with the television crew anchoring the event and actress Rosario Dawson and pop star Usher were reporters.

The atmosphere inside the ballroom was akin to a prom at an upscale high school with widely varying interpretations of the term “black-tie” for the invitation-only event. A majority of the women at the event targeted at ages 18 to 35 wore short gowns or cocktail dresses.

From about 10 feet away, I was close enough to see Dawson fix West’s tie, which was a cute moment. West had an inexplicably bad haircut that looked like a cross between a Mohawk and a mullet. Usher was adorable, breaking into impromptu dances and interacting with the crowd. Dawson was full of smiles and joked around with fellow celebrities and the MTV production staff.

Tim Burham, 25, of Newport Beach, Calif., said he was a little disappointed the crowd was not looser and friendlier, but that being there was worth the spectacle.

“Most everyone had some affiliation with the government,” he said. “Those tickets were so hard to get, from what I gather.”

After the MTV crew had packed up and all the live performances were over, the crowd started to loosen up. Women’s shoes were tucked under couches and tables and piles of jackets were visible everywhere.

Seeing Fall Out Boy was fascinating (band member Pete Wentz seemed so small in person), but I gave up my front-row position to a young girl behind me who was singing all the words.

But the central star-gazing moment for myself and my guest, Gina Rossini, who grew up in Eugene but lives in New York, came at the end of the ball when Aretha Franklin made an unscheduled stop. I whipped out my camera phone as the others had been doing all night. Most in the crowd were oblivious to her presence, but Rossini happened to spot her as she walked in and pulled me in Franklin’s direction.

We ended up two feet from the Queen of Soul, flanked by guards. She gazed over the crowd of dancing young people and mouthed along to the last song of the evening, Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” before gracefully exiting as quietly as she came in.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Subscriber Services

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The Register-Guard ~ 3500 Chad Drive, Suite 600, Eugene, OR 97408 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service